Rail-bearing plate



o. R. WILLIAMS RAIL BEARING PLATE July 14, 1925.

Filed Aug. 7, 1924 fv VIA/702?.-

fln/EM Ric/man MIL/mi Patented July 14, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAIL-BEARING PLATE.

Application filed August '7, 1924. Serial N'o. 730,668.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, OWEN RICHARD VVIL- LIAMs, a subject of the King of Fmgland,

residing at Darlington, in the county of Durham, in the Kingdom of England, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Rail-Bearing Plat-e, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a rail bearing plate, its object being to provide a plate of the kind having reduced bearing portions in contact with the rail, of generally improved construction and manufacture.

According to the invention the plate is produced by pressing from a rectangular metal blank and comprises a central portion and lateral side portions, said central portion being of less thickness but greater length than said side portions and having two rail seating portions formed thereon, and two longitudinal upstanding guides extending across the plate at the junction of the side and central portions. A plate of this form offers great advantages in manufacture over the ordinary drop-forged, stamped or cast plates, since the thinner portions are produced by squeezing the blank laterally and also into the portions which are required to be thicker in the finished article, the distribution of metal in the above construction requiring a minimum of work to produce a plate of maximum serviceability. Preferably a boss is formed centrally on each side edge of the plate for the purpose of allowing any excess metal to be extruded from the pressing dies and thus prevent risk of damage thereto.

The invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a plan view of a finished plate; Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a cross section on line BB of Fig. 1.

The bearing surfaces 1, 1 of the plate, which provide seating portions for the rail, are made relatively small and are slightly inclined to the horizontal plane in order to minimize the rocking tendency of the plate as the load traverses the rail supported thereby, thus'preserving the packing of the ballast and reducing the forces which generate creep, as is well known in the art.

In order to leave these bearing surfaces upon the blank, considerable metal must be pressed away, and this is provided for by making the cross section of the central portion 2 of the base of greater length than the thicker end portions 3, 3, thereof, which end portions approximate to the original dimensions of the blank. The metal squeezed in a transverse direction from the central portion 2 is mainly utilized in forming two longitudinal upstanding guides 4L, 1 extending wholly across the plate'and serving to locate the rail securely and correctly upon the bearing plate. A boss or lug 5 disposed centrally at each side edge allows surplus metal to be extruded through these safety gaps. Holes 6 receive the necessary coachscrews, spikes or the like by which the plate and rail are secured to the sleeper.

The cross section at any part is approximately constant.

I claim:

1. A rail bearing plate of the kind described produced by pressing from a rec-; tangular blank andcomprising a central portion and lateral side. portions, said central portion being of less thickness but greater length than said side portions and having two rail seating portions formed thereon, and two longitudinal upstanding guides extending across the plate at the junction of the side and central portions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A rail bearing plate of the kind described produoed by pressing from a rectangular blank and comprising a central portion and lateral side portions, said cen tral portion being of less thickness but greater length than said side portions and having two rail seating portions formed thereon, and two longitudinal upstanding guides extending across the plate at the junction of the side and central portions,

and a boss centrally disposed on each side edge of the plate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

OWVEN RICHARD VILLIAMS. 

